Hapoel Be'er Sheva Eyes Historic Champions League Qualification in Bucharest

Hapoel Be'er Sheva is on the brink of a historic breakthrough, standing just two matches away from qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. The club has struggled for three years to reach a European competition group stage, previously falling short in playoff rounds against Celtic and Maribor. Despite having arguably stronger squads in the past, the team under coach Barak Bachar, during their three-championship era, has yet to secure a spot in the prestigious tournament unlike other Israeli clubs such as Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, and Hapoel Tel Aviv.

The team completed a training session at Rapid Bucharest's stadium, which will serve as their home ground for the upcoming matches regardless of whether they advance to the Champions League or drop to the Europa League. Nearly a thousand Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans, mostly from Israel and some from Europe, have gathered in Bucharest to support the team.

Coach Ran Kozuch is focusing on tactical and professional preparation, avoiding emotional overload for the players. One player described the atmosphere, saying, "We look each other in the eyes and know what's at stake. There's no need for excessive talk or fantasy; you see on your teammate's face that he understands the importance. Nothing is greater than participating in the Champions League. You dream of it from the moment you start playing football as a child."

Kozuch plans to field the same lineup that played last week against Red Star Belgrade, with Ofir Marciano in goal; defenders Guy Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Itay Rotman, and Pedro Amador; midfielders Lucas Ventura, Niv Yehoshua, and Eliel Peretz; and forwards Javon East, Zahi Ahmed, and Igor Zlatanovic, all aiming to help the club make history.